Chambers' departure ‘shocking’ to Floyd

Hard to believe, but Malcom Floyd is in his sixth season with the Chargers, long enough that there's not much about the NFL that would surprise him. But this?

“Shocking,” said the lanky wide receiver. “Shocking.”

Although hints had been dropped, Floyd's week started with news that Chris Chambers was being waived, a stark reminder of what a wicked business pro football can be. The team's decision to dispatch Chambers represented a well-earned promotion for Floyd that — while reconfirming that he'd displaced the former Pro Bowl receiver as a starter in San Diego — felt like one of those tackles he gets after going high for a catch and leaves his ribs exposed.

“Chris is a friend, an idol, and all of a sudden he's gone from starter to not being here at all?” Floyd said. “I never saw that coming.”

Unlike previous opponents, the Giants will see it coming, the name Floyd in the starting lineup. That he was out there for the first offensive series against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday was a harbinger for Chambers, who was released Monday for off-field reasons as well as diminished numbers. He was claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday. Yet another statement, seemingly, was the fact that the Chargers opened with a 53-yard pass play to Floyd to set up a quick touchdown.

Tomorrow's start will be only the seventh for Floyd since his rookie year of 2004. Over the years, though, he's made precisely the kind of catches that cause people to wonder why the Chargers haven't thrown to him more. With his 6-foot-5 height, leaping ability and a midair dexterity that give him a major advantage over defensive backs, he leads the team in average yards per reception at 22.8, but has only 11 receptions.

Actually, it was last year that Floyd really opened eyes, and not just because he made such a tempting target in the end zone and that four of his 27 receptions went for touchdowns. Though a relative beanpole, he more than proved his toughness by catching five passes at Kansas City on Dec. 14, at least some of them with what later was diagnosed as a collapsed lung.

“You have to make plays when called upon,” Floyd said. “I've always tried to make the most of whatever play I got.”

It helps that he's no stranger to quarterback Philip Rivers, who joined the Chargers the same year as Floyd. While Rivers played behind Drew Brees, he threw lots of passes daily to Floyd, who began his career on the practice squad. Rivers' first TD pass in the NFL, as it happened, was Floyd's first professional score.

When Rivers became the Chargers starter in 2006, Floyd also seemed to be having a breakout season, but it was cut short by an ankle injury.

Notable

•Thirty-seven games into his NFL career,
Brandon Siler
likely will get his first start at linebacker tomorrow. Inside linebacker
Tim Dobbins
is listed as doubtful with a knee injury he suffered Sunday, and fellow linebacker
Kevin Burnett
is questionable after sitting out yesterday's practice with a bad ankle.

Definitely listed as out is center
Nick Hardwick
(ankle), while nose tackle
Ogemdi Nwagbuo
(ankle) is questionable after sitting out practice all week. “Probable” for the Giants game are tight end
Antonio Gates
(foot), safety
Steve Gregory
(ankle), nose tackle
Travis Johnson
(groin), punter
Mike Scifres
(groin) and linebacker
Shawne Merriman,
though he was withheld from practice yesterday to rest his foot.

•The Chargers are playing the Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., for the first time since 1995, so it's a rare form of homecoming for a few players who grew up in New Jersey, none closer to tomorrow's game site than veteran defensive end
Luis Castillo.

“I grew up five minutes away from the stadium, but to be honest, I never really had much of a chance to go to (a Giants game) when I was in high school,” said Castillo, a product of Garfield (N.J.) High. “It just wasn't something my family did. The first game I saw there was a state high school championship game. We got to within one game of playing there.

“Everybody back there's Giants fans. All the coaches I had back there were Giants fans. I've been trying to get them to come to the game. But they're still going to be Giants fans.”